1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the coupling of hooks to pegboard and, more particularly, to a device having, at one end, a screw for positively fastening to the hole of pegboard and having, at the other end, a resilient clip for releasably retaining a portion of a hook.
2. Description of the Background Art
For many years it had been a common practice of people to store individual tools and like articles on hooks firmly screwed into the wall of a workroom, garage, basement or other convenient area. The stored tools would thereby be individually located in plain sight for being conveniently found, used, and then returned to their preassigned locations as determined by the user. When, however, certain tools were lost, broken or replaced with different models, or if additional tools were acquired, it would become necessary to unscrew the wall hooks and reinstall them at new and more convenient locations so as to accommodate the new tool to be stored. Unfortunately, such a system of tool storage would result in unsightly screw holes in the wall following each repositioning of wall hooks. Unsightly holes or repeated hole patching were the price to be paid for the convenience of tools stored on firmly positioned hooks.
In recent years, a product known as pegboard has eliminated the need for the repeated repositioning of screws with their hooks into the wall of a tool storage area. Pegboard is a sheet of composition material having characteristics similar to wood. Pegboard is formed with holes of a common diameter extending therethrough and arranged in rows and columns. Used in association with pegboard are hooks removably positionable in the holes. The hooks have a lower portion outwardly bent away from the pegboard for supporting an article to be stored, an upper portion inwardly bent toward the pegboard for being positioned through a hole in the pegboard, and an elongated central portion coupling the upper and lower portions. Although the hooks are quickly and easily repositionable on the pegboard for rearranging the user's tools, the pegboard itself is normally positioned on a wall permanently by screws, through spacers so as to allow the upper portion of each hook to extend therethrough.
As can be readly appreciated, the use of pegboard and hooks eliminates the disadvantages of repositioning hooks screwed into walls as occurred with the previous practice. The popularity of pegboard can thus be easily understood. But as happens with the development of new and improved products, there are often associated new and unexpected disadvantages. In the case of pegboard, the chief disadvantage is in the nature of the securement of the pegs to the pegboard. When, for example, a tool is removed from its supporting hook on a pegboard, the hook will frequently be pulled along with the tool and inadvertantly dropped from the pegboard. This requires the user to find the fallen hook, pick it up and reposition it in its prior location, if such prior location can be recalled. This inconvenience may be overcome by the more careful removing of tools and constitutes only a minor inconvenience when compared with the inconvenience of plastering holes as with the earlier practice. But the inconvenience is, in fact, real and has lead many people to seek a solution to the problem of more securely coupling hooks to pegboard. Inadvertant removal of hooks is the price to be paid for the inconvenience of the easy repositioning of hooks.
The optimum system would be something new which combines the benefits of the prior practices without their shortcomings, i.e., securely positioned hooks which could be readily repositioned by a user without the inconvenience of holes in the wall after the repositioning. Such an optimum system would preferably provide the known benefits, avoiding known shortcomings, not by a totally new system, but by the simple addition of an inexpensive device to existing pegboard-hook systems.
The patent literature documents the dissatisfaction of many people with known pegboard-hook systems as well as their efforts to devise the optimum system. Consider, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,724 to Alling and Canadian Pat. No. 1049478 to Marleau. These patents describe attachment devices for coupling hooks to pegboard. Conventional hooks are employed but require supplemental special devices to improve the securement of the hooks to the pegboard. According to these disclosures, the devices frictionally attach within pegboard holes whereby the force lifting a tool from a hook may very well withdraw the device from the hole with the same undesirable results as if no device were used at all. In addition when devices relying on frictional, non-positive, securement forces are used between hook parts and pegboard holes, there is a continuous abrasion of the hole each time the device is inserted into, or withdrawn from, the hole. As a result if the hole were to be abandoned and then later reused, it would be enlarged rendering it less suitable for its intended purpose.
The patents to Cardinal, Terlinde and Conran, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,790,616; 3,227,412 and 3,625,464 describe systems which function without special additional devices as discussed above. They do require, however, specially designed hooks with additional insertion fingers. This presents the many current owners with the expense of replacing their present hooks with the more expensive ones as described in these patents. In addition, the interference or frictional fit of the additional insertion fingers of the new hooks extending into the holes causes the undesirable hole widening abrasion as described above with regard to the use of supplemental frictional attachment devices.
The majority of the prior patents directed to the improved coupling of hooks and pegboard employ special hooks in addition to supplemental attachment devices. Note U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,037,733 to Roman; 3,091,423 to Butterworth; 3,289,991 to Kalahar; 4,105,179 to Elliott and 4,531,697 to Steiner. These patents combine the negative aspects of high cost and hole abrasion without attaining the full benefits as intended.
Lastly, other related devices might be considered pertinent as techniques for coupling members to holes in a board. Consider, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,067,536 to Brittsan wherein the member to be coupled specifically enlarges its supporting hole through a broaching action to effect an intended coupling. Hole enlargement must, however, be avoided in hook-pegboard systems where hole reuse is desired.
As illustrated by the great number of prior patents as well as commercial devices, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to couple hooks to pegboard more efficiently, conveniently, reliably and economically. None of these previous efforts, however, provide the benefits attendant with the present invention. Additionally, prior techniques and apparatus do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed and claimed herein. The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objectives and advantages over the prior art devices through a new, useful and unobvious combination of component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a negligible cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a hook to pegboard attachment device having, at one end, a screw for positively fastening to the hole of pegboard and having, at the other end, a resilient clip for releasably retaining a portion of a hook.
It is an additional object of the invention to positively fasten a device to pegboard for releasably securing a hook to the pegboard.
It is a further object of the invention to releasably secure a hook to the pegboard through a device positively fastened to the pegboard.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.